The people who commit cybercrime are often referred to as hackers or cybercriminals. To get a true sense of who those people are, it’s important to first dispel a few myths about the concept of “hackers” and focus on four important facts.

Fact #1: Not all hackers are criminals.
A hacker is commonly defined as someone who uses advanced computing or networking skills to overcome technical obstacles. The term is often associated with cybercrime, but not all hackers are criminals. Penetration testers, for example, are hackers that organizations hire to attack their networks and identify security vulnerabilities before actual criminals find them.

Key takeaway: While there are plenty of criminal hackers in the world, there are also plenty of good hackers who leverage their skills to protect people and data.

Fact #2: Social engineering is the most common hacking method.
Social engineers are con artists who use deception to mislead people into doing something they shouldn’t, like divulging login credentials. The main concept behind these attacks is they hack humans, not devices or technology. The attacks, therefore, are not advanced or technical in nature, which is partially why they’re so common.

Key takeaway: The concept of hacking might be closely associated with technology, but most security incidents happen due to people falling for non-technical scams via social engineering.

Fact #3: Anyone can be a criminal hacker.
Possessing highly advanced hacking skills isn’t always necessary to commit cybercrime, like infecting computers with malware (malicious software). Instead, someone could subscribe to a malware service. The service providers develop the malware and rent it out to people with instructions on deploying it, including on-demand tech support.

Key takeaway: Cybercrime continues to grow because it doesn’t require advanced hacking knowledge. Someone can instead purchase a “hacking subscription” and use it to launch attacks.

Fact #4: Anyone can be a human firewall.
Hackers (the good kind) are constantly building new tools designed to keep organizations and people safe. Unfortunately, no security tool can be perfect. That’s why the world needs human firewalls — people who represent the last line of defense. You become a human firewall by staying alert, remaining skeptical, and always following policies.

Key takeaway: New technologies will continue to emerge that allow criminals to bypass security controls. You can help fight cybercrime by becoming a human firewall both at work and at home.

Article retrieved from Unmasking Criminals by The Security Awareness Company – KnowBe4, Inc. (2023)